History

Knife River Timeline

1941

Morse Bros. Company Founded

Morse Bros. Company was started by the three Morse brothers, Joe, Forrest and Bill in 1941 as a supplier of sand and gravel from their first pit in Harrisburg, Oregon. Services and materials offered to the construction industries expanded to include ready-mix, highway construction services and material for roads and highways.

1958

Structural Prestressing Plant Built

In 1958 Morse Bros. built its structural prestressing plant in a nearby field in Harrisburg to supply prestressed girders for new highway construction throughout Oregon and the Northwest. The precast and prestressed industry throughout the United States organized and began developing design, manufacturing and quality standards that are still today the foundation of all precast/prestressed concrete. This organization is the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI).

1967

Morse Bros. Becomes PCI Certified Plant

In 1967, Morse Bros. became one of PCI’s earliest certified plants and we remain one of the major PCI producers in the Northwest. Dick Imper general manager in 1994, served as national chairman of PCI. Morse Bros. prestressed division has been a leader in the northwest in developing and producing new generations of precast bridge members and other construction products. Morse Bros. has also been a leader in designing and producing other concrete products such as precast post-tensioned concrete fluid storage tanks, frame members and seat riser units for arenas and outside stadiums, electric power transmission poles, and support structures and enclosures for industrial process facilities.

1973

Addition of Architectural Precast and Prestressing Plant

In 1973 Morse Bros. added the current architectural precast and prestressing plant at the 42-acre Harrisburg facility. Morse Bros. has and continues to produce architectural precast and/or prestressed concrete building cladding and framing components as well as moment frame beam/column components for buildings and elevated parking garages.

1998

Becomes a Member of the Knife River Family

1998 was the year that Morse Bros. took advantage of an opportunity to broaden their horizon by becoming a member of the Knife River Corporation family of companies, a fully integrated independently managed and operated construction materials and mining company headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota. Knife River is part of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE: MDU). Knife River operates in Alaska, Oregon, California, Montana, and Wyoming providing high quality construction materials and related services.

2007

Rebar Processing Facility

In 2007 Knife River added a 16,000 S.F rebar processing facility to its property in Harrisburg Oregon. Home to cutting edge technology for rebar bending and shearing; the rebar processing facility supplies reinforcing materials for projects being manufactured at the Knife River Prestress facility and commercial projects.

2010

Railroad Division

In 2010, Knife River introduced a new line of railroad product lines to complement a number of other business items related to the railroad industry being produced in Harrisburg. New casting beds and dedicated space were constructed at the Knife River prestress facility.

2016

Arcis Technology

As a partner with the Altusgroup, in 2016 Knife River prestress added a new line of precast/prestressed products to its arsenal. The patented Arcis system allows for ultra-thin & light weight products complete with unlimited concrete finishes. Knife River leased the original Arcis facility and purchased Arcis specific casting beds from its founder Brian Blout in North Plains Oregon. Knife River kept the original Arcis facility operational and crew intact while a permanent structure was being constructed at Knife River’s prestress plant.

2018

Architectural Plant Expansion

In 2018 Knife River added a 16,000 S.F covered expansion to its architectural building in Harrisburg Oregon. Home to the newly expanded Arcis division, this expansion features additional covered and controlled casting areas for architectural and commercial products.